TV is Better Than Movies: Dexter

"Dexter", basically the story of a human and quite smart serial killer who kills other serial killer, has a following that defining "utterly devoted" would be an euphemism. All great series (rightfully so), have a fanbase, but this one, especially after Season Four (more on that later) has a bunch of worshipping fans of the best type.

To explain: as i probably told ya before, i discovered the pleasure of TV series not too long ago. Always been too ADD riddled to follow them and too full of weird prejudices. Still, everytime i talked to epople who were familiar with them, one of the recurring names was "Dexter". Followed by an ecstatic expression. And a "You have to see it".

So i did. At first i thought it had a weirdly quirky beginning. The characters were so..... Weird. Almost unlikeable, at times. Dexter included. Everything about it was weird: the sxurreal yet deeplyy depraved Miami setting, the stylized beauty of the violence (that at times reminded me of the good Dario Argento movies), the deep complexity of all the characters (who all seem inexplicably damaged and hialrious in their own way), the constant switching between tension and morbid sarcastic humour. And Dex himself.

Michael C Hall is an actor that deserves utter adoration for his subtle, powerful work in this series. He won me. All the actors are what makes this series special, from the incredibly emotional and likeable Jennifer Carpenter (whose scenes not only make me love hercharacter but got my heart too), to the always dependable David Zaayas (the man who is in every single series ever made and always succeeds into making his characters compelling and charming), through the beautiful and endearing even wehen annoying Julie Benz. Still Hall is the one who won me. His ability to unleash humour and emotions through a character that is unable to feel like anyone does, is incredible. He moves through what less great thespians, do, from one pole of the emotional spectrum to the other, with a single shift in his eyes. You feel whats happening inside him, even when his vpoiceover isnt explaining it. You can perceive those movements inside your heart, just by looking at his stare, his expressions, his movements. And he can be terrifying too when he has to.

The series is paced, hialrious, emotional, full of quirky details that got me laughing or cringing.

Then Season Four came.

And John Lithgow enetered the picture.

I was warned. And yet.

I wont spoil. It would be unforgivable by my part. But i will try to explain what that seaosn did to me, besides carving this show into my soul for the rest of my life.

John Lithgow is a killer. I'm not spoiling anything here. And..... He creates, through his voice, his body, his lines, his eyes and everything about him, what can be described as the most horrifying, black, inhuman, abject and monstruous incarnation of pure unsympathetic evil you'll ever witness.

Villains in movies, especially serial killers, are often (maybe way too often) cool, charming or sympathetic. Even an utter monster as Hannibal Lecter, is acharming. Satan is sometimes described as fascinating. As something that attracts you. Or at times, evil is grotesque, scary but over the top. Unreal. You can detach from absolute eveil cause yous ee it as cartoony and fictional. Evcen the actual monsters are still seen as something you dont real feel frightened of cause they're surreal or unblievable. In this sreason, in the middle of a series that at times is clearly unbelievable, thats fun in its pleasant meanness and dark humour, a true monsster walked in. John Lithgow, who won an emmy for this, an unavoidable prize, has used his figure, his old and quirky appearance and his sublie acting ability to give a physical portrait of absolute monstrosity.

I was afraid of him. Terrified. Physically sick. Hated him.

He scarred me emotionally, psychologically, even when his scenes with Hall touched the high reign of perfect acting or to quote a firend "Stopped the world". What was unfolding in front of my eyes wasnt simply a thriller. It was a dissection of inhumanity and horror. When it ended, i felt like iw ould never recover again. And i probably wont.

So, fuck the cynical assholes, who say that tv series are all the same. Watch this. Get ready. It will rock your world, for the good or the bad.